Kent Beck
Programmer, coach coach, artist, pokerist, singer/guitarist. Learning to be me. Soon to announce a new Chief Scientist gig. Mastodon: @kentbeck@hachyderm.io
10+ Book Recommendations by Kent Beck
There's No Such Thing as a Dragon
Jack Kent
Billy Bixbee's mother won't admit that dragons exist until it is nearly too late.- What would happen if everyone in your company followed a disciplined approach to cost reduction? Go ahead -- imagine it. What would it look like? How can it be done? The answer -- smart cost management. Effective cost management must start at the design stage. As much as 90-95% of a product's costs are added in the design process. That is why effective cost management programs focus on design and manufacturing. The primary cost management method to control cost during design is a combination of target costing and value engineering. Target Costing Objectives: Identify the cost at which your product must be manufactured at if it is to earn its profit margin at its expected target selling price. Break the target cost down to its component level and have your suppliers find ways to deliver the components they sell you at the set target prices while still making adequate returns. Value Engineering: The connection to function: An organized effort and team based approach to analyze the functions of goods and services that the design stage, and find ways to achieve those functions in a manner that allows the firm to meet its target costs. The result: Added value for your company (development costs on-line with added value for your company; development costs on-line with selling prices) and added value for your customer (higher quality products that meet, possibly even exceed, customer expectations.)
What Engineers Know and How They Know It
Walter Vincenti
"The biggest contribution of Vincenti's splendidly crafted book may well be that it offers us a believably human image of the engineer."--Technology Review. Johns Hopkins Studies in the History of Technology. Merritt Roe Smith, Series Editor.What Engineers Know and How They Know It
Walter Vincenti
"The biggest contribution of Vincenti's splendidly crafted book may well be that it offers us a believably human image of the engineer."--Technology Review. Johns Hopkins Studies in the History of Technology. Merritt Roe Smith, Series Editor.What Engineers Know and How They Know It
Walter Vincenti
"The biggest contribution of Vincenti's splendidly crafted book may well be that it offers us a believably human image of the engineer."--Technology Review. Johns Hopkins Studies in the History of Technology. Merritt Roe Smith, Series Editor.Orbiting the Giant Hairball
Gordon MacKenzie
A humorous look at the corporate structure invites readers to explore their own creativity within the confines of the workplace, which the author describes as the giant "hairball"The Princess Bride
William Goldman
Chickens Aren't the Only Ones
Ruth Heller
A pictorial introduction to the animals that lay eggs, including chickens as well as other birds, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, insects, and even a few mammals.Rootabaga Stories
Carl Sandburg
A selection of tales from Rootabaga Country peopled with such characters as the Potato Face Blind Man, the Blue Wind Boy, and many others.Structured Design
Yourdon Press
A valuable new approach to computer systems and program design, structured design is quickly becoming the standard industrial technique for significantly improving productivity, enhancing reliability, and lowering maintenance costs.Extreme Programming Explained
Kent Beck
The first edition of "Extreme Programming Explained" is a classic. It won awards for its then-radical ideas for improving small-team development, such as having developers write automated tests for their own code and having the whole team plan weekly. Much has changed in five years. This completely rewritten second edition expands the scope of XP to teams of any size by suggesting a program of continuous improvement based on: five core values consistent with excellence in software development; eleven principles for putting those values into action; and, thirteen primary and eleven corollary practices to help you push development past its current business and technical limitations. Whether you have a small team that is already closely aligned with your customers or a large team in a gigantic or multinational organization, you will find in these pages a wealth of ideas to challenge, inspire, and encourage you and your team members to substantially improve your software development.The Water Knife
Paolo Bacigalupi
Decimated by drought, Nevada and Arizona skirmish over dwindling shares of the Colorado River, while California watches, waiting. Into the fray steps Las Vegas water knife Angel Velasquez, who "cuts" water for the Southern Nevada Water Authority and its boss, Catherine Case, ensuring that her lush, luxurious arcology developments can bloom in the desert and that anyone who challenges her is left in the gutted-suburban dust. He becomes a pawn in a game far bigger, more corrupt, and dirtier than he could have imagined.